Rough Weather

Weather has been less than idea lately for kayaking. Sunday on Dog River was windy with the shoreline obsecured by fog. 30+ mph winds on Monday and Tuesday was enough to keep me off the water.

Big Creek Lake

First time I ever saw a white Fog Rainbow. Sun was behind me. 

After the fog burnt off. Not a ripple on the glass smooth water surface.

Submerged aquatic vegetation being combed by the current. 

Upstream of Big Creek Lake the creek narrows.

10/02/2011 - Big Creek Lake

Launch: Howells Ferry Road launch site.
Launch Cost: $5 Destination: Big Creek Lake aka Converse Reservoir for a training paddle with Maggie and Richard.
Distance: 16 miles (round trip)
Pedal time: 4-1/2 hours
Weather: Cool morning starting at 50 degrees and rising to about 62. Wind started calm and started picking up out of the northeast to 10-15 mph. No tide influence. No Current. Waves went from calm to a 1 foot chop.

Header image - photo of water lilies in Big Creek Lake.

The waters were warm and the air cool which generated some surface fog at sunrise.

Surface fog at sunrise.

Maggie leaves the launch site in her surf ski. I couldn't keep up with her 6+ mph speed and when stumps started appearing in the water, I turned around because I didn't want to damage the pedal drive on a submerged stump.

Rich got a late start and headed north to meet Maggie. I continued heading south toward the dam in the wider and deeper waters.

Big Creek Lake dam.

Winds started picking up by the time I got to the dam. On the way back north, the chop out of the northeast was hitting the kayak at about 45 degrees which generated hull splash. I got a wet butt (sit-on-top kayak) but that's okay because the water was warm.

On the way back, a sandy shoreline looked inviting to take a break. I scared a deer that was laying down - well, we scared each other. Deer tracks can be seen in the sand.

Wildflowers were abundant in the low pinelands. The purple flowers are blazing-stars.

Speaking of blazing stars, here is a closer view of one with a bumble bee.

Red basil or Scarlet Calamint (Calamintha coccinea or in older books, Satureja calamintha) growing next to the water's edge was a pleasure to see.

Out of the wind in some of the smaller side inlets were pockets of water lilies (Nymphaea odorata). Waters were clear enough to see turtles and fish going by. Didn't see many herons.

Closer photo of a water lily.

10/01/2011 - Moore Creek and McCullough Creek

Launch: Home
Destination: Moore Creek and McCullough Creek
Distance: 7-3/4 miles (round trip).
Time Paddling: 2-3/4 hours
Weather: Sunny, temp in the 60s, winds out of the north at 0-5 mph with occasional gusts. Tide receding. Current negligible. Water surface calm. Water temp 82 degrees.

Header image is a photo of a Big Blue Heron.

Sunrise over Dog River.

Slight surface fog with a fog tornado.

Lower Moore Creek. The small craft advisory for strong winds was not an issue on this inland waterway where waters were calm.

In upper Moore Creek the waters were clear.

Wow, third morning in a row I've seen raccoon families.

In upper Moore Creek, the wildflowers were taking on a fall like appearance just like the temperatures. I love this time of year.

A green heron.

Female and male wood ducks.

Had to back up to take a second look at this pastiche of trash items that took on an appearance of a head with a hat when viewed from a distance.

In McCullough Creek, there were several large limb hooks with chicken used for bait. Alligator poaching is alive and well in Dog River Watershed. (October 3rd UPDATE: I stand corrected - the limb hooks were not put up by poachers. An Alabama Conservation Officer put those bait hooks up to "catch a large nuisance gator." Drat! I always look forward to seeing that alligator. Too bad that it "bothered" someone while living its life in its natural territory. Why don't Alabama Conservation Officers put out limb hooks with meat on them to catch vicious dogs that chase bicyclists instead of going after Alligators that don't chase people.)

09/23/2011 - Paige Bayou and Bluff Creek

Launch: Paige Bayou Marina near Vancleave, MS
Waterway at Launch: Paige Bayou
Launch Cost: $5
Destination: Bluff Creek and Paige Bayou hoping to see some sandhill cranes at the Sandhill Crane NWR. None were seen or heard on this trip.
Distance: 9-1/2 miles (round trip).
Trip Rating: Easy pace.
Time Paddling: 3-1/4 hours
Weather: Foggy, no wind. Near high tide. Current less than 0.5 mph. No waves - waters mostly slick.
GPS Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, CLICK HERE.

Header Image - they have alligators in Bluff Creek.

A big Osprey Eagle nest in Paige Bayou on a foggy morning.

It took about 2 hours but the fog finally disappeared. This area will probably be stunning in a few weeks as the cypress needles are starting to turn to golden brown.

Southern Wild Rice (Zizania aquatica) was abundant along the shoreline.

Yellow Pond Lily with delicate markings (Nuphar lutea).

This Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly was stuck to the water and couldn't fly. As soon as it was scooped up on a paddle, it took off flying.

This small butterfly was camouflaged well in Spanish Moss.

An eastern bluebird.

I was using the paddle as a stabilizer while attempting to get out of the kayak onto the creek bank. Next thing I know the kayak shifted, all my weight went onto the paddle and then crack, the paddle broke and I was in the water. That was unexpected. 

With only half a paddle to work with, I decided to turn around and go back to the launch site. I was bummed out. See the sad face in the mud bank reflection?

On the way back I saw about 4 inches of a paddle sticking out of the water, picked it up, and it was a functional full sized canoe paddle. Exactly what I needed to make the return trip easier. What are the odds of finding a paddle within 30 minutes of breaking one? That's scary.

09/20/2011 - Lower Dog River

Launch: Home
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Lower Dog River - getting in a training workout for an upcoming race in Oct.
Distance: 10.5 miles (round trip)
Pedal time: 2-1/4 hours
Weather: Temp 74 degrees, Winds 0-5 mph out of the northeast. Water temp 83 degrees. Mostly cloudy. Falling tide. Current about 0.5 mph.

Header Image. Forget your worries - be like a duck - paddle and enjoy!

Colors were a bit bland as the sun lightened up the dark morning sky.

First sighting of the sun near Dog River Bridge on this beautiful morning.

The Grand Mariner cats seemed a little blue and sleepy headed this morning.

Ducks were wide awake and out for a morning paddle.

Heading back upstream - waters were slick because there wasn't any wind.

Just north of Halls Mill Creek, a fog bank came rolling in.

This was unexpected. Can't even see the other side of the river. When you kayak, you need to be prepared for the unexpected.

A photo of the sun shot through the clearing fog seemed to reveal black sun spots. A quick search on the internet for current sunspots confirmed it. It is mind boggling to know that temperatures reach 27,000,000 degrees in that ball of fire that lightens our days and keeps us warm. To view a stunning image of the sun from NASA, click here.

As quick as the fog bank came rolling in, it disappeared just as fast.

Rain during the night and a foggy morning coated vegetation with dew drops.